I really don’t like that Abby has been under fire this morning. Twice. I open my mouth to fire back an answer, but I’ve wondered the same thing. Why hasn’t she given me something? Why is it taking so long?
“She said I would know as soon as she fixed it.”
“That’s just it,” Josh says, tugging at the watch on his wrist. “I don’t think she’s fixed anything.”
“She’s still working on it.” And now I do snap. “Can we just all give Abby a break?”
“Maybe you’re just blinded by your feelings for her, so you haven’t realized that she’s screwing this whole thing up for us,” Jack says.
I get to my feet. “No. That’s not what’s happening here.”
Jack looks at Josh. “Explain. What’s happening?”
If he looked nervous before, Josh is sweating now. “I like Abby. I do But I don’t think she’s trying to fix things. She intentionally introduced new code. Loops. Traps. And information is going to an outside source.”
No. I don’t believe it. Not for a second. Even though Jack rocks back on his heels before glaring at me. I need to get him to understand before he does something stupid.
I remember the laptop she used at the resort. “She’s been working on her laptop. I told her it was okay.”
Josh shakes his head. “The IP address is for her office. Not her laptop. She’s been funneling data there.”
Jack leans against the wall, one hand buried in his hair and the other at his jaw. His eyes meet mine. I know that look.
Doubts rise like an inky cloud, impossible to ignore or dispel. I know and believe in Abby. I trust her. And not just because of my feelings. I trusted her before, because Zoey trusts her.
But I don’t understand what Josh has found, or how to reconcile that with the Abby I know. Or how to explain any of this. I just don’t know tech.
“I trust her,” I say, but the words sound like I’m trying to convince myself.
Jack yanks his phone out of his pocket. “I’m calling her boss.”
“What? Why?” This has gotten out of hand, much too quickly. Abby hates her job, but I’m not sure she’d want to get in trouble. Then again, I don’t believe anything could possibly be on her computer.
I glance at Josh. He’s staring down at the floor, as though disappointed in Abby. Or maybe in me. I’m sure the whole office knows that we’re together.
Aren’t we? I haven’t made anything official. What happens now? Could she really have done this? And if she did, can we move past it?
Everything feels like it’s spinning out of control. I want to stop it, but I’m not sure how or what to do.
“There has to be a reason,” I say, not sure anyone is even listening to me. Jack is talking in low tones on the phone.
“Maybe she hates her boss,” Josh says.
I frown, unsure if he means me or Jack. Neither of us is really her boss. Not technically. Her boss at the other job? That makes no sense. Josh watches Jack with narrowed eyes.
Jack finishes the call and turns to me. I hate the look on his face. I want to remove it with my fist.
“Abby didn’t come into work this morning. Her coworker logged on to her computer. She has our whole program there. She’s stolen everything. That’s corporate espionage, Zane. We’re talking jail time. Not just fines and losing a job.”
“Jail time?” Josh looks like he’s ready to bolt. We both ignore him.
“Do you know where Abby is?” Jack asks.
“No. But we’ll figure this out.”
My hand shakes as I pull out my phone. There’s a text I must have missed when I was talking to Zoey.
Abby: I’ve figured out your bug problem.
I would feel relieved, but now that Jack has called her boss and said things like “corporate espionage,” relief isn’t possible. Not until all the information is lined up in front of me and Abby is totally cleared. Until there’s an explanation for why she has any of our information on her work computer.
Zane: Where are you?
Abby: Headed your way.
“She’s almost here,” I say. “We’ll figure this out.”
“I think we have it figured out. But, sure, we’ll wait for your girlfriend.” Jack snorts and covers his eyes with the heels of his hands.
“There’s got to be a reason,” I say, feeling like a CD skipping over the same line again and again. “Don’t make assumptions until we let Abby explain.”
Jack drops his hands from his face and stares at me. There’s a sharkish look about him, one I don’t like at all. “You still think she didn’t do this? After what Josh and her boss found on her computer? What other explanation could there possibly be?”
“It looks bad. But I know Abby.”
I love her. But that thought feels fuzzy, a little unsure.
Jack tilts his head. “Do you? She’s worked here for just over a week.”
“I’ve known her for years through my sister.”
Shaking his head, Jack crosses his arms over his chest. “You’re not thinking with your head,” he says. “Your judgment is clouded.”
Josh, who has been sitting silently with his head down this whole time, looks up at me. He looks … betrayed. “I really liked Abby too.”
Liked. Past tense. For some reason, it’s this one word that really fills me with dread about the whole situation. If I’m being fully honest, there is a tiny sliver of doubt. I hate that sliver.
With hands that feel unsteady, I turn my back on them both and text my sister. My office feels suddenly like a pressure chamber. I feel the need to pop my ears, and a headache is forming at my temples and at the very back of my head.
Zane: You trust Abby, right?
Zoey: With my life.
Zoey: Why?
Zane: This is sensitive info. Please keep it between us.
Zoey: Okay …
Zoey: I’m worried.
Zoey: Type faster.
Zane: One of our tech guys found evidence that Abby was messing with our code. Looks like she also leaked it to her office computer, which is a big deal. A felony kind of deal. Did she say anything to you about anything?
Zoey: Abby? No. That’s ridiculous. You know that.
Zoey: She found evidence that someone inside the company was creating the problems intentionally. I told her to wait to tell you until she had evidence. Last night, I think she figured it out. She was up all night.
My breath catches in my throat. This. This is the truth. Not whatever Jack seems convinced of or Josh thinks he found. There’s a reason we didn’t put Josh on this task. He’s simply not good enough. Abby found out, and someone’s trying to cover their tracks, blaming her.
But how to convince Jack?
For a moment, all the blood seems to run straight to my head and my headache dials it up a few notches.
If it isn’t Abby, and someone is messing with our system, who is it? And how did our information get on her work computer?
I don’t have time to really consider that thought because Abby walks right into my office without knocking. Her eyes are tired, makeup smudged. I recognize Zoey’s handiwork, a French braid in her hair. Zoey would have braided my hair if it had been longer. Something is off, and I can tell even from just a look that Abby isn’t okay.
I resist the urge to wrap her up in my arms, to shield her from all this. I think she might fight me off.
She doesn’t look at me. Why hasn’t she looked at me?
Abby stops on her heel, glancing quickly at Jack. Her gaze lands on Josh. “You,” she says, practically a sneer.
“I’m sorry, Abby. I had to tell them,” Josh says, holding out his hands. “It’s not personal.”
“Please,” she scoffs. “Save it for Judge Judy.”
“Abby, we need to talk,” Jack tells her in a careful voice, taking a step closer to her. I notice that he positions himself between her and the door.
The look in her eyes freezes Jack in place. She points a finger at the center
of his chest, not touching him, but he jerks as if she did.
“I expected this from you.”
Then she turns to me, and her anger is a flaming arrow, shooting straight through me. I swallow hard, trying to find words, trying to catch up. This whole situation escalated so quickly. It’s over my head, and I know I’m not doing what I need to do to protect Abby.
I can see through the anger flashing in her eyes to the sense of betrayal that I’ve let her down. Again. I’ve screwed up by not doing more, not doing enough. But what could I have done?
Tears fill her eyes, and I swear my heart has turned into something hard and brittle, because it shatters at the sight.
Abby points to Jack, but her eyes don’t leave mine. “I’m not surprised that he thought the worst of me. But I expected more from you. I deserved more.”
“I believe you, Abby.” But my voice doesn’t hold the conviction it needs, and if anything, her disappointment deepens. “Just tell us why our stuff is on your work computer. Explain what Josh says he found.”
Abby holds up a flash drive. “This has everything you need to show that this bozo”—she points at Josh—“has been working with my traitor of a coworker to sink your launch. I don’t know why, but I could make a few guesses. You can have the information on the drive verified by a third party since you clearly don’t trust me. It’s all there.”
Abby tosses the drive at me, and I manage to catch it. And then she storms out, but not before kicking the back leg out of Josh’s chair, sending him toppling to the floor.
It’s an Exit.
One I would appreciate and maybe even applaud if she didn’t also walk out on me. I pass the flash drive to Jack. “Don’t let Josh go anywhere until we look at what’s on there.”
That predatory look is still on Jack’s face. “I don’t plan to,” he says.
Josh stands. “Guys, look—”
I slam the door, not interested in the rest. I need Abby. I have to make this right. I didn’t do anything, but that’s kind of the point. I didn’t do anything. I believed her, but I doubted. I let Jack call her boss before asking Abby directly.
I jog through the building. She’s almost to the door. “Abs, wait!”
She slams through the front doors, a bright slice of sun blinding me before the tinted glass blocks it again when the door closes. I push through, following her to her car. “Abby!”
Finally, she stops. I slow to a walk. The tenseness in her shoulders and back keep me from reaching out to touch her. I walk around to face her. She’s playing with her keys, refusing to look at me.
“Abby, I’m sorry. Everything happened so fast. I was trying to—”
“I got fired. Did you know that?” She glances up, probably seeing the shock and sorrow on my face.
“What? No. You said that it was your coworker.”
“Yeah. They’ll fire Micah too, once they figure out I wasn’t lying. Until then?” She shrugs. “He called me like five minutes ago, right after he got a call from Eck0.”
“That was Jack.”
“Yes. Your partner. And if you’d just asked him to wait a few minutes, I’d still have a job.”
Swallowing feels like I’ve just taken a spoonful of cinnamon. My tongue is too thick, my mouth too dry. “I thought you hated your job?”
Her eyes narrow. “I do. Or—did. But it paid the bills. I was trying to get enough jobs on the side to get out, but I’m not there yet. Now? I have no choice. And no job. Thanks for that.”
“I’m so sorry. Josh came in with this story, and I didn’t have any updates from you. I didn’t believe that you could have done it. Jack called your boss to confirm. I should have stopped him.”
Her anger dissipates like fog as she wraps her arms around herself. “Some of this is my fault. I know I kept you in the dark. In hindsight, that was really stupid. I wanted to come through for you with a big reveal. To be the Velma to your Fred, solving the big mystery with all the answers.”
It takes me a minute. Is she speaking about Scooby Doo right now?
“But Fred always ends up with Daphne,” she says. “There’s a reason for that.”
“Wait, Abby. What are you talking about? This isn’t a cartoon. This is actual life. I’m not a Fred. You’re Abby. And I lo—”
The word catches in my throat. Abby’s eyes fly open, looking clear and green, with just the faintest hint of brown. She is so beautiful. So amazing. This should make it easier to complete that sentence, but instead, I back up like the big coward I am.
“I really like you. I trust you. And I’m so sorry how things went down this morning. Josh just walked in, spewing some story, and then Jack—”
Abby’s shaking her head, and when she holds up both hands, I stop talking. My shoulders slump. I already know what’s coming, but I don’t want to believe I’ve lost her.
“I’m sure Josh was convincing. You had no explanation from me. And I know Jack is … Jack. But you.”
The hurt in her voice is like a saw, grinding through me.
“You should have trusted me, Zane. If you had respected me, you could have held on for a few minutes. Asked me for my side before you called my boss. You can’t pawn this off on Jack. When it comes down to it, you have to take responsibility. I deserve at least that.”
I can’t even argue as she gets in her car and drives off.
Because she’s completely right. She deserves so much more than my inaction and passive trust. She deserves a better man than me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Abby
I haven’t been back home to Katy since Christmas. Way too many months. It’s only a two-and-a-half-hour drive, more because I stop for kolaches at one of the bakeries inside a gas station in the tiny town of La Grange. Today I buy a whole dozen of the fruit-flavored ones and a few pigs in blankets. As if coming back with baked goods will distract my family from the reason why I’m coming home, my tail between my legs.
The smell of sweet bread and spicy sausage fills the car for the last hour of the drive. The rolling hills give way to the flat prairies. Boring scenery, giving me too much time to think about everything. Or, the one thing. Zane. I know that I overreacted. I could have told him my suspicions at any time. And Jack was the one who called my boss.
What could Zane have done, really? Still, it all felt so huge in the moment, like such a betrayal.
As I finally exit the highway in Katy, I wonder if maybe I wouldn’t have been so hurt had Zane not asked me to wear different clothes to the dinner. It’s like that unlocked the door to my insecurities and let them all out to play. I haven’t let them rule me in so long that I almost forgot what it’s like and how powerful they can be.
Now they need to be banished back to the dungeon where they belong. Home seems like the best place for that, where I can draw on the strength of my family.
I already texted Jason, and he’s coming over to Mama and Daddy’s with my nephews. Jessa is staying home to rest. I’m really hoping that she’ll go into labor while I’m here and save me another trip to Katy. Once she has Baby Addie, I told her I’d help wrangle the boys for a bit. I like thinking about Addie. About my nephews.
Even that reminds me of Zane, and our conversation about having kids when we were at the resort. The night we both pretended we weren’t crying over the movie Up, and the man attaching balloons to his house, flying to the honeymoon location he never got to see with his wife. Kind of like I’ve been pretending for the last two days that Zane hasn’t been blowing up my phone with calls and texts.
I think whenever I manage to lock my insecurities in the dungeon, my feelings for Zane need to go there too.
Sam’s words keep bobbing up to the surface, making me wonder if I just sabotaged my relationship with Zane. I can’t think about that. Even if I suspect that maybe, just maybe, I overreacted and did exactly that.
This time though, I crashed and burned a relationship I actually wanted.
I pull into the gravel drive at Mom and Da
d’s, shaking my head at all the development. Growing up, there were farms on all sides of us. Our house is just a little old farmhouse on half an acre, loosely incorporated into the planned community built up around us. A guy rides a big, black horse along the fence of our property. He tips his hat to me, and it’s such a stereotypical Texas thing that I smile.
He’s one of the twins that lives on the property behind ours, the only other holdout against the development. I’m not sure if it’s Elton or Easton—I can’t remember which was the quiet one who loved horses, and which one recently got busted for hosting fight nights in their barn. They were always nice to me, even when I left school to finish at home.
Ugh, twins. It feels like reminders of Zane are everywhere. It’s one more reason I had to get out of the house. I couldn’t stand looking at Zoey, and I definitely didn’t want to talk to her about Zane.
“Hey, sweet potato,” Dad says, rounding the hood of my car. He’s got on his boots, as usual, but his jeans almost look new.
He gives me a hug that I feel all the way down in my bones. “Daddy.”
When he pulls me back to examine me, I wave him off. “Blue this time?”
I tug a strand of my hair in front of me, still surprised to see the almost teal color. “I needed a change.”
A lot of changes.
“And you! Look at those jeans. Very fancy.”
Dad shakes out his legs, making a face. “Your mama burned my old ones.”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “Hopefully not while you were wearing them.”
“Naw,” he says. “She waited ’til I was in the shower. Came out when the fire alarms started going off.”
“She burned them in the house?” I’m surprised but not shocked.
“Sure did. When you see the char marks in her nice farmhouse sink, you’ll know where they came from.”
I wince. “Oooh. Is she upset?”
Mom and Dad waited until I was out of college to redo their kitchen, and it’s only a few years old. I’m pretty sure she likes it more than me most days.
Falling for Your Best Friend's Twin: a Sweet Romantic Comedy (Love Clichés Sweet RomCom Series Book 1) Page 17
